Diversity in the Classroom Encourages Success

My oldest son began his public school experience in the Logan City School District. He was fortunate to have highly skilled teachers who were committed to helping all students in their classroom succeed. As a teacher at Logan High School, I worked with students from various cultural backgrounds, many of whom were first-generation immigrants. I was fortunate to work closely with those students to observe firsthand the benefits of their different perspectives, experiences and languages brought to my classroom and our school.

When my family left Cache Valley, we quickly discovered that this diversity was not always going to be easy to find. When my son returned from his first day of second grade, wondering why there were no students of different ethnicities in his class. My wife and I had to acknowledge that we had taken this diversity in Logan for granted, and we recognized how much we valued it. In spite of the positive relationships we built at our new school, exposing our children to that diversity found in Logan was one of the reasons why we were excited to return to Cache Valley.

At many of our schools in Logan, more than 40 percent of students identify as ethnic minorities. The ethnic diversity often includes differences in spoken language and cultural background. This diversity contributes to what Michael Roth, PhD, president of Wesleyan University, calls a “dynamic community.” In explaining why this is desirable Dr. Roth said, “All the students we admit [to Wesleyan University] have intellectual capacity, but we also want them to have different sorts of capacities. Their interests, modes of learning and perspectives of the world should be sufficiently different from one another to promote active learning in and outside the classroom.”

The mission of the Logan City School District is to “ensure all students leave our schools ready to create a positive future for themselves and their community.” The ability to understand the variety of perspectives, and use those perspectives to promote active learning and personal growth, are key elements of their long-term success. I am grateful to be part of a district where diversity exists, and where our students are able to have those interactions that will prepare them to succeed in an increasingly diverse and interconnected world.